


Stuck Inside My Head

by beatlechicksteph



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Supernatural
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Smut, Romance, Spoilers Season 14 Supernatural
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-27
Updated: 2019-05-23
Packaged: 2019-11-06 15:42:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17942528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beatlechicksteph/pseuds/beatlechicksteph
Summary: Dean is running out of time to get Michael out of his head, and Sam and Cas are getting desperate. When Rowena comes to them with stories of a natural born witch with mind-healing capabilities, the trio hits the road and travels to Boston. Can this woman help them, or will Dean need to spend eternity on the bottom of the ocean?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> New story! Updates will be sporadic.

Dean stared at himself in the mirror. The pounding inside his head was rhythmic. And it was becoming more and more frequent.

He stared at his eyes, as if he could stare down Michael. He knew it was impossible, but he couldn’t help but try. If he could just get the bastard to stop pounding on the door he had him locked behind, everything would work out. He would be able to tolerate his presence for just a little bit longer. But as it stood, he didn’t know how much longer until his mind wouldn’t be strong enough to hold him in anymore.

He closed his eyes as there was a particularly loud and strong push against his mind. It reverberated across his brain, causing the migraine of all migraines to hit him. He squeezed his eyes against the pain, feeling the tears leaking through the creases and make their way down his cheeks.

If they didn’t find a solution to get rid of Michael soon, he didn’t think he would be able to last much longer. Which meant the box would be back on the table. And no matter the brave face he put on for his brother and Cas, the persona that didn’t mind sacrificing himself for the greater good, he really didn’t want to spend eternity on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean with Michael.

HPSPN

Sam threw the book he was reading against the wall. Frustrated wasn’t a strong enough word for how he was feeling right now. He looked at the back of the room. The damn Ma’lok Box was sitting there. Taunting him. As if reminding him that if he failed to find a solution to the Michael problem he was going to have to help Dean lock himself in that box and watch as his brother sunk to the bottom of the ocean forever.

“Another dead end?” Cas asked from where he sat with his own pile of books.

Sam nodded. “Yeah. Isn’t it always? I think our last hope went out with that pearl.”

“We can’t think like that,” Cas said. “It doesn’t help us to think negatively about the situation. The answer has to be around here somewhere.”

“Does it though?” Sam asked. “Dean says Billie was pretty clear about the end game here. Either Michael breaks through and destroys the world, or Dean spends eternity in that damn box. I think it’s becoming increasingly clear the more we research that these are the only options we have for us.”

“We don’t know that,” Cas said. “We’re running out of options here, in the bunker. But we have Rowena out there trying to find a solution. And Jack. And your mom. We have feelers to the ground all over the country. We’re bound to find the solution eventually. We just need to keep trying.”

Sam sighed. “But will we find the solution before it is too late? Dean rarely comes out of his room. And when he does, I don’t think he is here, not completely. I think it’s starting to become too much for him to have Michael in his head.”

Cas frowned. “We need to keep thinking positively. It doesn’t help to start giving up now. We’ll give up when everyone returns here empty handed.”

Sam nodded. “You’re right. You’re right. But having that fucking box looming there like a specter is not helping me.”

Cas looked over at the box. “You’re right. Why did you two even bring that inside? You should have left it in the garage.”

Sam shook his head. “I don’t know. I don’t think we were even thinking.”

The door to the bunker opened and shut, causing the two men to look up at the balcony. The shock of bright red hair announced Rowena’s presence before her lilting, “Hello, boys.”

“Rowena,” Sam greeted. “Please tell me you’ve found something.”

“Oh, Sammy, you are never going to believe what I have found for you. It’s a good thing you’re already sitting down, because what I’m about to tell you is going to shock you. Where’s Dean?”

“In his room,” Sam replied.

“Get him out here, he’s going to want to hear this,” Rowena said.

Cas stood up immediately and rushed down the hall to get Dean from his room.

“Please tell me what you’re going to tell us is good news,” Sam said quietly.

“Sammy, it’s better than that,” Rowena said with a smile.

Cas re-entered the room followed closely by Dean, who looked worse for wear. But just hearing Rowena tease good news was enough to give Sam hope that they were close to finding a solution for their problems.

Dean and Cas took their seats at the table, and all three men turned their attention to the red-headed witch.

Rowena took a deep breath, and began. “So, we all know about traditional witches. They gain their powers through nefarious means, a deal with the devil if you will. However, what would you say if I were to tell you that there are witches out there that were born with their powers?”

“Impossible,” Dean said.

“We would have heard about them,” Sam agreed.

“Wait,” Cas said. “I think I remember something about them. The Wizarding community,” he said.

“Yes,” Rowena said. “You boys wouldn’t have heard of them, hell, I had never heard of them until now. They take great care to keep themselves hidden from the rest of the world.”

“If they keep themselves hidden, how do you know about them?” Dean asked.

“Well, that’s the thing, dear, there are ways to get someone talking. I had heard rumors of this group for a very long time. And then I was out trying to find any leads for someone who could go into Dean’s mind, as a long shot, and just rip Michael out. And that’s when I met this guy. He’s part of the community, and he was drunk as a skunk. And drunk people, they’re the easiest to get information from. Didn’t even have to work any magic on him. Guy just started spouting out about the hidden magic community.”

“And they have something that can help us?” Sam asked.

Rowena nodded. “So, their magic, from what I can tell, is very different than the magic I’m familiar with. They use spells, but they don’t need to do rituals or anything to make their magic work. It’s all inside of them. And they have a type of mind magic, where the witch can go inside your mind and alter your memories. Now, I don’t know if they’ll be able to remove Michael, but-”

“It’s worth a shot,” Dean finished. “Hell, this is the biggest lead we’ve had since that damn pearl. But how do we find someone to do this magic? They’re hidden.”

Rowena’s smile widened. “Here’s the best part. I was able to get out of him that there is a witch who is some sort of well known, specialized mind-healer in the community. She moved to the States from England a couple years ago. In fact, she lives just outside of Boston. I did use my magic a little to get a name, and I’m sure you can use your computer sleuthing to get an address.”

Sam reached over and pulled his laptop in front of him. “What’s the name?”

“Hermione Granger.”

Sam typed on the computer, and just a few minutes later he let out a victory shout. “Hermione Granger. Right here. We have an address.”

Dean stood up from the table. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s get our shit together and start driving out to Boston.”

“Rowena, you joining us?” Sam asked as he started gathering everything he wanted to take with him on their trip back east.

Rowena shook her head. “No, I think I’ll sit this one out. But I want to hear about everything. I’m going to go take a much needed break.”

Dean turned and looked at Rowena, his eyes shining with emotion. “Thank you, Rowena.”

She gave him a small smile. “Don’t thank me yet. Wait until this actually works.”

“Well, it’s still the biggest lead we’ve had a in a long time, so, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

HPSPN

With the three of them taking turns driving, and really pushing some speed laws, they were able to make it into Boston in just over a day. They rolled just past the city limits and found a cheap motel. They felt it was better to get some sleep before they went and greeted the mind healer.

As Dean laid on the bed trying to get some sleep, he couldn’t help but try and anticipate what they were going to find once they reached the witch’s home.

Hermione was such a strange name. But if the community was hidden from the rest of the world, it would be expected that they would have some strange names.

He closed his eyes and tried to figure out what they could expect when they got there. He tried to think about what she would look like. Rowena said she was an expert in her field, so she was probably older. Maybe his mom’s age, maybe older. Rowena also said she practiced magic differently than the witches they were familiar with. He was mostly curious about that. And how she would get inside his mind and get rid of Michael.

His last thoughts before finally drifting off to sleep was, if she couldn’t get rid of Michael, maybe she would have something to help him while he spent eternity on the bottom of the ocean.

HPSPN

Dean pulled the Impala up to the curb and killed the engine. The house was not what he had expected. It looked like a quaint little suburban family home. Nothing about it screamed out of the ordinary, and that had him frowning. He thought there would be something creating the illusion of secrecy. This was just so…normal.

He opened the door and listened as Sam and Cas followed suit, but he couldn’t tear his eyes off the house. It was single story, and painted white with blue shutters. The bushes out front were well maintained, and the lawn well manicured. He laughed wondering if she did it herself or if she used magic.

The three men worked their way up the walkway to the front door. And then they paused. They really hadn’t planned past this point. What do they say? How do they get her to believe them?

Cas reached over and pushed the door bell, and they waited. The door swung open a minute later and Dean frowned. He didn’t see anything.

“Who are you?” a little voice asked, and all three men swiveled their attention to a spot not more than three feet off the ground.

“Um, we’re here to see your mom?” Sam said, not quite sure if he was even right.

Dean couldn’t tear his eyes off the little girl in front of him. Expectations were being smashed all over the place. He was not expecting children to be part of the equation.

“Mummy!” the little girl shouted. “There are some strange men at the door!”

He listened as foot steps approached the door from behind the little girl, and the door opened wider, revealing not the older woman he had been expecting. No, this woman had to be around his age. And she was not bad on the eyes. She held the door with one hand and had a toddler perched on her opposite hip.

“Can I help you?” she asked, her British accent evident. And her suspicions obvious.

“Um,” Sam started. “Are you Hermione Granger?”

“Yes,” she answered, with hesitation evident in her voice.

“I’m Sam, and this is Dean and Cas, and we were told that you would be able to help us.”

“I think you were mistaken,” she said, pulling back from the door, getting ready to shut it. “Have a good day.”

“We were told that you’re an expert in mind magic,” Sam tried, just as Hermione was about to shut the door.

She paused. “There’s not such thing as magic,” she said, with a forced laugh.

“Please,” Dean found himself saying as she moved to shut the door again. “Please, you’re our only lead, and I’m sorry to put this on you, but my life really depends on your help.”

She paused with the door halfway open. Toddler on her hip, young daughter hugging her leg, and she just looked at him. She stared into his eyes for a very long time, and it was making him just a little bit nervous. He’d never been scrutinized so closely, at least not for a long time. After a while she sighed and opened the door a little bit wider.

“Come inside,” she said quietly.

“Thank you,” Dean said quietly, before stepping across the threshold, Sam and Cas following closely behind.


	2. Chapter 2

Dean stepped into the living room of the quaint little house, and looked around. The house looked well lived in, and you could tell that there were two small children living there. Toys were strewn about, and drawing were posted on the wall. 

He walked over to the wall where there were some pictures, and he did a double take. 

“Hey, your pictures are moving,” he said over his shoulder. 

“Yeah, magical photography,” Hermione answered him. “Give me a minute to get the kids settled with an activity and I’ll be right back.”

Dean nodded and turned back to the wall. Most of the pictures were of the kids. There were several pictures of a man with dark hair and glasses, with his arm around a red-headed woman and their kids, but there didn’t seem to be any pictures of Hermione with a man, or the kids with a man. Was the father out of the picture?

“Hey, Dean,” Sam said as he approached him. “I don’t know about this. I mean, she has kids.”

“I know,” Dean answered, staring at a picture of the kids laughing and blowing dandelions. “I don’t think I feel okay with putting her in Michael’s cross hairs. It’s too dangerous.”

“So, when she comes back, what do we tell her?” Sam asked. 

“We just tell her that we’re thankful that she was willing to help us, but it’s just too dangerous, and thank you for your time,” Dean said. 

“But what about Michael?” Cas asked from his other side. 

“We’ll just deal with it. The box is better than leaving these kids without a mom,” Dean said.

“But—”

“No, Sam. No. Look at these pictures. Where’s the dad?” Dean pointed at the wall.

Sam just shook his head. “I don’t know.” 

“Exactly. We shouldn’t have even come here.”

“Dean—” Cas started. 

Dean opened his mouth to answer him, but was cut off by someone clearing their throat behind them. He turned around and saw Hermione standing there. 

“The kids have a snack and their favorite show on the telly. You have approximately ten minutes before they are bored and they come find me, so let’s make this quick, shall we?” 

“Well,” Dean started, “we were just talking, and I think it would be best if we just left. We didn’t know about the kids, and we just, don’t want to involve you—”

“How did you find me?” Hermione interrupted, crossing her arms across her chest.

“What?” Dean asked. 

“How did you know where to find me? No one should know where I am.”

Sam and Dean exchanged a look before turning back toward the witch. “Um, we have a friend, who said she found you through a guy she found at a bar. Said he knew your name, and that you were really good with mind magic, and we just looked you up online and found your address,” Sam explained. 

“Shit,” the woman cussed and turned away. “Did your friend tell you what this person looked like?”

Sam shook his head. “No, she didn’t. Is it important?”

“Only a handful of people know I’m here, and know I’m back to using my maiden name,” Hermione explained. “And they certainly shouldn’t be in a bar somewhere telling strangers about me.”

Dean frowned. “Are you in danger?”

Hermione shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, you said you found my address on the Internet, right?” 

Sam nodded. 

“Well, I have that going for me, but I don’t like that someone knows where I am.”

“Look, we’re really sorry for bothering you,” Dean started again. “And we really don’t want to involve you with our problems, but if you’re in trouble—”

Hermione shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. And you came all this way, and you told me I was your last hope. Why don’t you tell me your problem and I can determine for myself whether I want to involve myself in it.”

Dean looked at the woman in front of him. She was wearing leggings and an oversized sweater that went down to her thighs, typical mom uniform. Her curly brown hair was pulled up in a messy bun on the top of her head. She looked tired, but that was expected of a mom with two small children, especially a single mom. She was small, almost a foot smaller than him he estimated, but she looked strong. As much as he didn’t want to involve her in the Michael situation, her apparent fear that someone knew where she lived was already starting to eat away at him. If they stuck around a little, he could at least make sure she was going to be okay.

“You have to promise that you’ll believe what we’re about to tell you, because it’s going to sound like we’re crazy,” Dean started. 

“Dean—” Sam said from next to him. 

Hermione nodded. “If I were to tell you have the stuff I’ve been through in my life, you would think I were crazy, too.”

“Can we sit?” Dean asked. “It’s a bit of a long story.”

Hermione nodded and gestured to the furniture in the living room. The four of them moved and arranged themselves, Dean found himself sitting across from the witch. 

Between he, Sam and Cas, they filled Hermione in on everything. Demons. Angels. The alternate universe, and more importantly Michael. They explained Dean’s being the vessel and having been possessed by Michael, and locking Michael away in part of his mind. 

“So, that brings us here, to you. We were told you were a mind healer and that you would be able to help us, help me,” Dean finished up. 

Hermione spent the whole time looking at him intently, like she was trying to get her own read on him. Now, she sat back, and brought her bottom lip between her teeth, and looked like she was deep in thought. 

“I don’t know if I can help you,” she finally said quietly.

“Really?” Dean asked, all his optimism he had found leaving him with that one phrase.

“Really. And it’s not that I don’t want to help you, it’s just that, what I do, it’s more of going into memories and helping people cope with traumatic events by being able to relive it with them. You’re talking about a living creature literally locked away in your mind, and I just don’t know if what I do will help with that.”

Dean nodded. He understood. She had some skills, and some pretty otherworldly skills at that, but she wasn’t sure if they were the right skills. 

“Yeah, no, we totally understand,” Dean said, trying to keep the disappointment out of his voice. “We’re, uh sorry for taking up your morning.” He made the stand up, but Michael took that opportunity to make his presence known. The banging in his head made his vision blur and caused him to fall back into the couch, hands gripping either side of his head. 

“Dean?” Sam asked concerned, moving toward him, but Hermione was faster, she was next to him in seconds, placing her hands on either side of his head. 

She forced his head up and he found himself looking into her golden brown eyes. She reached down and lifted up a stick and set it beside his right temple. “Trust me,” she whispered, before she said something in Latin, and then suddenly he could feel her in his mind, except it was different than when Michael was in it, he felt a little bit in control. He could see his memories flying by, and he realized he needed to direct Hermione where to go. So, he tried to conjure up the bar, and the walk in where Michael was, and he could feel her pause. The door to the walk in glowing, the door getting beat so hard from the inside that it looked like it was going to come off its hinges. And then as quickly as they got there, he could feel Hermione slipping out, and then everything was black.

SPNHP

Sam watched as Dean and Hermione sat staring into each others eyes on the couch. He had no idea what was going on, but he had to wonder if this was some of the mind magic that she was doing. After a minute Hermione pulled back, closing her eyes, and Dean slumped over on the couch. 

“Dean!” Sam exclaimed moving toward him. 

“He’s fine,” Hermione said. “He’ll just be out for a little bit, the whole process can be overwhelming.”

“What was that?” Cas asked.

“I went into his mind,” Hermione said. “Your brother is a quick learner. He was able to direct me where I needed to go and showed me where he is keeping Michael. After seeing and experiencing it, I wonder if I actually can be of help.”

Hermione stood from her spot next to Dean and walked back into the back part of the house. Sam just continued to kneel by Dean. She returned a few minutes later carrying a stack of books. 

“I need to tend to the children, and get some work done. Do you two have a hotel?”

Sam nodded, “Yeah, just at the edge of town.”

“Okay,” she said, handing the books over to Sam. “I need you to start going through these books and see if there’s anything in there that you think will be able to help me help your brother. I hate handing over research responsibilities, but I don’t think I’ll have time to start narrowing down the books today. Leave your brother here, you two see if you can narrow down these books, and we’ll regroup here later tonight. The children are in bed by 7.”

Sam took the books and nodded. “Yeah, yeah, we can do that,” he said, looking over at Cas who easily agreed. 

“Good,” she said. “I don’t want you to get too hopeful, though. I’m still not sure I can help, but I’m going to try.”

Sam smiled up at her. “Thank you,” he said.

“Don’t thank me yet,” she replied. 

“Are you sure it’s fine leaving Dean here?”

“Yeah, it’ll be fine. He’ll be out for a while. And having one of you here is easier to explain to the kids than all three of you. I try to keep my kids out of everything.”

“Completely understand,” Sam said, standing up and leading Cas to the door. “We’ll be back around 7:30, would that give you plenty of time?”

“Yes.”

“See you then.”

Sam and Cas headed out the door, and climbed into the Impala. As he drove them back to the hotel, he couldn’t help but feel optomistic for the first time since he discovered Dean’s plan to live eternity at the bottom of the ocean. 

 

SPNHP

Dean groaned and opened his eyes. He looked up at the unfamiliar ceiling for a minute before he remembered where he was. After a minute he remembered Hermione, and Michael, and her going into his mind, and then nothing. He must have passed out. 

He rubbed his hands down his face and rolled over to his side and started. Standing in front of his face, incredibly close to the couch was the little boy he had seen Hermione carrying around earlier. 

“Hi,” Dean said, not quite sure what else to do.

“Who you?” the boy asked, tilting his head. 

“I’m Dean. Who are you?”

“I Hugo!” the boy said, a smile on his face. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Hugo. How old are you?”

“I this many,” the boys said, holding up two fingers. 

“Wow, you’re practically a grown up,” Dean said, unable to resist a smile. 

“You read me?” Hugo asked.

“Um, what?” Dean asked, sitting up slowly from the couch. 

“You read me?” the boy asked again, this time revealing a book in his hand, which he presented to Dean before clambering up onto the couch and then Dean’s lap, where he waited expectantly. 

Dean smiled and shook his head before lifting the book up reading the title. “The Book with No Pictures,” he said. 

Hugo leaned into his chest and waited patiently for Dean to begin reading. Dean looked down at the tiny little red head in his lap and felt a warmth fill his chest, and his smile grew until it didn’t leave his face. He opened the book and began reading. Laughing right along with the small boy in his lap, thinking that even though every bone in his body told him not to get attached, this was very much something he could get used to.


	3. Chapter 3

Hermione walked into the living room, drying her hands on a towel. Rose was coloring at the kitchen table, but she had lost track of Hugo, and she was worried he was bothering Dean. When she rounded into the room, she stopped and observed the sight before her.

She must have not noticed the exact moment Hugo abandoned his art at the table, because Dean was awake on the couch surrounded by probably about a dozen books, and currently reading to Hugo, who was sitting his lap, his head leaned against Dean’s chest as he listened.

Hermione felt her breath catch in the back of her throat at the sight of her youngest son so comfortable with a man. He never knew his father. She had to leave when he was just a baby, and she had been in the States working for MACUSA since before he had even reached his first birthday thanks to some strings Harry was able to pull between the governments. But not knowing his father never prevented him from longing for one, even though he seemed to be shy around any men he ended up coming in contact with, unless it was Harry. It was as if he had some instinct from what his early life was like. Rose definitely had some issues around men, which was probably why she hadn’t ventured from her spot in the kitchen. So seeing her skittish son so open and comfortable with Dean lifted some of Hermione’s hesitations about him. Kids were supposed to have great instincts, right?

She moved further into the room and cleared her throat. The two looked up from the book and smiled at her.

“Mummy!” Hugo exclaimed. “Dean read me lots of books!”

“I can see that,” Hermione said, smiling at her excited son. “I’m sorry, I hope he didn’t wake you.”

Dean shook his head. “I’m almost ninety percent sure I woke up on my own,” he replied, his own smile on his face. “But this kid was hovering, so I can’t be completely sure.”

“I no wake you!” Hugo exclaimed.

Dean laughed. “Okay, I’ll believe you. I hope you don’t mind that we were hanging out. Did you know this kid is pretty impossible to say no to?”

Hermione laughed. “Yes, I’m aware. He’s too cute for his own good. I hope he wasn’t bothering you. It looks like you’ve read a lot of books.”

Dean shrugged. “I don’t mind, really. Children’s books have really improved in the thirty years since I was a kid.”

“Well, thank you. I think you occupying him is why I was able to get supper finished so quickly. If you’re hungry, we eat in the kitchen.”

“What are you serving?” Dean asked, his eyes narrowed.

“Nothing fancy. Tuna casserole and some fresh bread.”

Dean smiled, “That sounds delicious.”

Hermione turned toward Hugo. “Go wash up.”

Hugo hopped down off Dean’s lap and rushed to go get cleaned up, as Dean stood from his place on the couch. He gathered the books up into a neat pile and stacked them on the table. While he did so, Hermione took a moment to observe him. He was tall, very tall, but not as tall as his brother. He seemed very fit, and he wore denims, and a t-shirt under an open flannel shirt. When he looked up at her, he was smiling, but it didn’t quite reach his green eyes.

“Sweet kid you have,” he said walking up to her. “Loves reading.”

She smiled. “Yes he is very sweet. I was actually surprised to see him so comfortable with you. He doesn’t tend to do well with strangers, particularly men. So it was nice to see him opening up a little bit.”

Dean frowned. “Really? Well, I feel honored, then.”

Hermione could tell he wanted to ask a million more questions, but was appreciative when he chose not to ask anything else. She didn’t want to have to be rude to the man on the first day, when they would probably be working together for a little while to try and get the angel out of his head.

“How’s your head?” she asked as they moved toward the kitchen.

“Actually, the best its felt in a while. What did you do in there?”

“Not much,” she said. “I was just looking inside your head to see if I could get a feel for what is going on. Good job, by the way, for catching on quickly and leading me in the right direction. I saw the door, and I saw whatever is behind the door banging on it. Is that where you’ve locked the angel?”

Dean nodded. “Yeah, and every time he tries to break down the door, it hurts like hell.”

“I can imagine,” Hermione replied. “I sent some books with your brother and friend, and they’re supposed to be looking through them. They’ll be here in a couple hours after I get the children to bed to see what we can do. But I’m feeling pretty optimistic that I’ll be able to help you.”

“Really?” Dean asked, in disbelief.

“Yeah, I mean, I’ll at least try.”

“That’s more than we can ask for,” Dean said sincerely.

They made it into the kitchen, and Hermione moved to the stove to start dishing up plates for dinner. “Rose, sweetheart, please clean up the art from the table and get cleaned up for dinner.”

She looked over her shoulder to make sure her four year old followed directions, and caught her daughter staring wearily at Dean, who was moving toward the table.

“Dean, can you come over and help me with dishing up dinner?” she asked, not turning around from where she was working.

She waited while Dean made his way over to her at the counter and then looked over her shoulder again at Rose starting to clean up and then leave to go get washed up.

“Okay,” Dean said, after a minute. “I get that we just met, but both your kids being leery around men raises a lot of my red flags. Also, your panic about being found earlier. Are you safe?” he asked, concern lacing his voice.

Hermione stopped dishing up plates and tried to choose her words in order to prevent more questions being asked, but also convey the situation. “We are safe, now.”

She looked up to see Dean frowning. “How long since you were last in danger,” he asked quietly.

“It’s been a couple years,” she replied just as quietly. “And please, this is not something I want to share with someone I just met. You’re a client and a stranger, so please. Just know that my children are my priority, and we’re safe now.”

Dean nodded. “I’ll accept that. And maybe after this whole Michael thing is solved, we can get dinner and maybe become friends.”

She looked up at him, startled. She could see a crooked smile on his face and a familiar twinkle in his eye. The man was flirting with her. She blushed and looked back at what was in front of her. “Yes, we’ll see. Let’s make sure I don’t want to strangle you before we’re finished.”

Dean let out a loud laugh. “Now you’re starting to sound like my brother.”

Hermione laughed along with him, and handed him two plates, as they walked together to place dinner on the table, Hermione couldn’t help the niggling little voice in the back of her head that kept saying she wouldn’t mind being friends with him, or perhaps even more.

  
SPNHP

Dean finished putting the dishes into the dishwasher and dried his hands before moving into the living room. He had volunteered to do the dishes since she had done all the cooking, while she put the kids to bed.

Dinner was fun, it kind of tugged at Dean’s heart to have a family dinner with Hermione and her kids, even if her daughter wouldn’t look at him, and he couldn’t understand half the things her son was saying. It had a sense of normalcy that Dean had always longed for. Something about the kids’ behavior bothered him, though, and he was too damn curious for his own good. He wanted to learn their story, but didn’t want to butt in.

He would just have to wait and see if he would be able to finagle a story out of Hermione before they were done with this whole experiment.

Hugo was a funny kid, and he was a little put out when Hermione wouldn’t let Dean do bed time. She said it would only rile him up and not help him get to sleep. She said to make himself at home and she would join him once the kids were asleep.

He moved through the living room looking at the pictures again. The moving element must be something to do with magic. The pictures were mostly of the kids at varying ages. He smiled watching the kids growing up on the wall, and moving around and making different faces at the camera. He had to wonder what Hermione did if someone who didn’t know magic would do if they came over and saw this wall.

“They don’t move if someone isn’t aware of the magic,” Hermione said from behind him.

“Reading my mind, Glinda?” Dean said, turning around and smiling at her.

She laughed. “No, but it’s something that people often ask. My best friend actually questioned whether it was a good idea to have them so prominently displayed in my muggle house in my muggle neighborhood. I told him that I charmed them, so he let it go. And just so you know, I won’t read your mind without your permission.”

“That’s actually good to know, and something I honestly hadn’t been concerned about until just now when you answered a question I hadn’t even asked.”

“If it makes you more comfortable, I can’t even read your mind unless we’re making direct eye contact. The second you break that contact, the second the connection breaks. And you’ll know when I’m in your mind. Unfortunately there isn’t anything stealth about this process.”

Dean nodded. “Well, your presence wasn’t as painful as Michael’s, so you have that going for you.”

“He looks like you,” she said.

“Yeah, well, that’s what happens when an angel takes over your meat suit and takes it for a ride.”

“Angels can just, possess you like that?” she asked, looking decidedly nervous.

“No, they need permission. Demons, they can just possess you.”

Hermione folded her hands over her stomach, and looked down.

“Hey,” Dean said, realizing that he had sufficiently terrified the woman. “We’re going to make sure that you’re protected. And the kids. We’re not going to leave you open and vulnerable. It’s the least we can do since you’re being so generous helping us out.”

“I’ve seen inside your mind, Dean. I’ve seen where Michael is. I’ve felt his presence, and I just can’t let you leave if there’s a chance that I can help you.”

“Well,” Dean said. “That makes you a good person, Hermione, and we appreciate it. I appreciate it. But if things start looking dangerous, then I need you to drop us like we’re hot. Because I’m not going to put you and the children’s lives in danger.”

Hermione nodded. “Deal. I don’t want to bring on danger. I’m done with that chapter of my life, no offense.”

“None taken,” he said.

There was a knock on the front door, and Hermione went to answer it. And Dean took the opportunity to admire her figure as she walked away. And what a fine figure she cut. Curves in the right places. She answered the door and revealed Sam and Cas standing there.

“You found your way back,” she greeted. “I thought I was going to be stuck with this one forever.”

“Well, just feed him pie and burgers and you’re good,” Sam said, as they walked into the house.

Hermione turned to him and smiled. “Pie and burgers? No wonder you and Hugo get along so well. Those are his favorite foods as well.”

“Well, tomorrow, we’ll bring in burgers and pie, can’t disappoint my best buddy.”

Hermione laughed and shook her head. “My son is going to never want you to leave. You’re going to spoil him.”

Dean flashed her a smile. “That’s goal, Glinda.”

She shook her head and turned and faced Sam and Cas. “Any luck?”

Sam and Cas shook their heads as they handed a small stack of books to Hermione. “Nope,” Sam said. “These all came up empty.”

Hermione sighed, and sat on the couch, setting the books on the table in front of her. Sam and Cas took the chairs, and Dean sat next to her. He turned and looked at her, as she sat and stared into space, he could tell her wheels were turning in her head.

“What are you thinking, Glinda?” Dean asked.

“We need to pull Michael out of your head,” she said. “But he has no corporeal body, right? You said he has to possess a body.”

“Yeah, no meat suit unless someone lets him in.”

“So what do we do with him once we get him out? We can’t just put him someone. But we need to tie him to something.”

“Yeah, we actually haven’t even thought that far,” Sam admitted. “We’ve mostly been thinking of ways to just get him out of Dean’s head.”

“So, we definitely want him out, yeah? Not strengthening his prison inside of Dean’s head?” Hermione clarified.

“Yes, get him the fuck out of my head, that is the goal,” Dean said.

“But,” Sam piped up, “Maybe if it looks like it’s going to take longer than expected to find a solution of what to do with Michael, we can maybe think of strengthening the prison.”

Hermione nodded. “Strengthening the prison will be easier, and I think I have some ideas. But, unfortunately, it may take a while to get him out of your head, because we really need to think of what we’re going to do with Michael once we extract him.”

“How long until you can find a way to tighten the prison?” Cas asked.

“I can do it right now,” Hermione said. “Locking him up tighter, in theory, should be as easy as me putting a few charms up and re-enforcing what you have there. And these will be easily reversible once we figure out how to get him out and what we’re going to do with him. But I can’t guarantee it’ll be painless, like I said before there really is no pleasant way to go into people’s minds.”

“Do it,” Dean said, turning to face her. “Put the extra protections.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely,” he said, no hesitation. “I trust you.”

“You don’t even know me.”

“I know that you’re a very generous person to let three strange men into your house, willing to help them. I know that you’re a good mom, whose kids love her. I know that you’ve seen some shit, and your kids have been through shit, but you have come out of it stronger than ever, and I respect that. So I think I know enough about you to trust you to make these intense headaches stop.”

Hermione sighed. “Okay, let’s give this a try. I need you to make eye contact with me, and don’t break it. Remember what I told you about what needs to happen in order for me to make the connection. Try and focus only on where Michael is. I’ll find my way there, through your subconscious. And then I’ll put some spells on the door.”

Dean nodded, and looked into her caramel eyes. “Alright, let’s do this.”

“Sam and Cas, will you keep an ear out for the children? If they wake, try and keep them out of this room?”

Cas nodded and moved so that he was closer to the hall that lead to the bedroom, while Sam sat exactly where he was, looking on concerned.

“Okay, here we go,” Dean heard her whisper a word in Latin and then felt it as she moved into his mind. He tried to only focus on the door, and found it was pretty easy to keep that in the forefront of his mind, as he felt Michael throwing his bodyweight against the door. He could almost see Hermione’s presence next to the door of that walk in refrigerator of that imagined bar. She stood outside the door, watching as the light glowed around the edges and the door bowed outward. He heard whispers in his mind, latin words, words he probably would have recognized if he was able to concentrate on anything else, but he dared not move his thoughts away from the matter at hand, for fear that if he thought of anything else, he would fuck everything up.

Suddenly, the door stopped bowing out, and the banging seemed to cease, even though the glow still emanated around the door frame. And as quickly as she had entered, Hermione exited his mind, and he found himself back on the couch, staring into her, now tired, eyes.

“Did it work?” Sam asked anxiously from his spot on the couch.

Hermione nodded. “Well, at least my part did. I was able to get in and place wards around the door. How do you feel?” she asked Dean.

He closed his eyes. For the first time since trapping Michael in his brain, it was…quiet. “I feel amazing. It’s quiet in there.”

He opened his eyes to see Hermione smiling at him, and he turned to Sam, and saw that he was smiling, too.

“Phase one, complete,” Dean said, feeling lighter than he had in weeks. “So, what’s next?”

“Well, next we try and see if we can find a solution to removing Michael and what to do with him when he’s out. I have a lot of books. It may take a while, but I’m certain we’ll find some solution in there,” Hermione explained.

“Good. Sam, Cas and I will get out of your hair tonight, but do you mind if we come back here? Help with the research?” Dean asked.

Hermione shook her head. “Not at all. The more people working on this, the better. We’ll be able to find the solution quicker. I do have to work during the day, and I have the kids, and I would like to not disturb their schedule too much…”

“Say no more,” Dean interrupted. “We’ll come by after they’re in bed, and that way you guys can go about your business as usual.”

“Yeah, that’ll work perfectly, and it will be much better for…” she trailed off, but Dean knew how she was going to end that sentence. It would be better for Rose if they were scarce.

The three men stood and walked toward the door, Sam and Cas bidding Hermione goodnight as they walked out to the Impala. Before he walked through the doorway, he turned and quickly wrapped Hermione is a quick hug. “Thank you,” he whispered in her ear, and not waiting for a response, he walked out the door, ready to return to the motel and get a good night’s rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to update! Hope you enjoyed it!


	4. Chapter 4

Dean sighed and set aside yet another book. Going through Hermione’s library was becoming just as tedious as going through the bunker’s. He was learning a lot of neat things about magic and what this hidden community could do. And it was at the same time really cool, and really scary. He thought the “hidden” world of the monsters they dealt with was crazy. These people seemed to have their own government system and hidden cities. It was bonkers.

He had been at Hermione’s for almost a week, and they were no closer to finding a solution to permanently remove Michael from his brain. However, whatever it was that Hermione had done to strengthen his prison had helped a lot. No more pounding in his head.

However, in the last day their manpower had dwindled to just him and Hermione. Sam got a call from their mom saying the hunters needed help on a job, and they insisted Sam was the only person who could help, and Cas decided he needed to check up on how Jack was doing, so the two of them loaded up and headed back toward the bunker, leaving Dean behind to continue his work with Hermione.

After Sam and Cas left, Hermione insisted that Dean check out of the cheap motel and move into her guest room. So he had done that the night before. It was strange being alone in Hermione’s house, she was at work and she had taken the kids to daycare, but it was nice to not be stuck inside that grungy motel room anymore.

He stood from the couch carrying the useless book with him back to the shelves Hermione had set up in the guest room/library. He replaced it and started browsing the titles, seeing if anything jumped out at him. He found himself eying a book titled, “The Voldemort Wars: The Complete History.” Dean frowned. He knew he wasn’t the best at history, but he was sure he would have remembered a war with this name. It must be some war in the magical world. He shrugged and pulled it off the shelf. He had spent a lot of time reading about mind magic and other things that directly related to his problem, maybe taking a little bit of a break and reading about a different topic would help him think more clearly.

He took the book and went back to the couch. He was really starting to love this couch. He opened the cover and saw that the first section was just a list of the main players in the war, with little biographies. He decided to skim through the names, even though being as it was a history book of a culture that wasn’t his, the names wouldn’t mean anything to him. At least that’s what he thought until he hit the second name on the list under the bold headline, “The Golden Trio.” There she was. “Hermione Granger. War Heroine. Helped The Chosen One, Harry Potter, vanquish the evil wizard Voldemort despite her blood status. Dubbed the brightest witch of her age, she demonstrated exceptional bravery during the war. From Voldemort’s return at the end of her 4th year in 1996 to the final battle at Hogwarts in May 1998, Miss Granger stood beside her best friend (sometimes lover?) Potter, and along with her now fiance, Ron Weasley, they were able to save the Wizarding World from the evil of Voldemort.”

Dean frowned. He looked at the dates next to her name. Yeah, that’s what he thought. Hermione was the same age as him. She fought in a war and saved the Wizarding World before she even turned 18? Suddenly he was very interested in reading this book. He felt a little bad, like he was invading her privacy, since the book would probably give him answers to his questions, like the father of her children. But it wasn’t really his fault. This was a history book, and it was on her shelves. And she had told him to help himself to whatever books were on the shelf, and this book was on the shelf.

He settled in and started reading, and quickly he was dragged into the gripping story of Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived.

 

 SPNHP

Hermione opened the door to her house and ushered the kids in. It had been a long day at work, her caseload getting a little heavier with new mental health regulations for the aurors going into effect. Now she had to screen all the aurors to make sure they were mentally sound to be out in the field. And of course they were approaching the deadline, so everyone who procrastinated to the last minute were flooding her office with evaluation requests. She was exhausted, she had a headache, and she had grand plans of seeing if Dean wanted to bugger off research tonight and after a dinner of takeaway and getting the kids to bed, sitting in front of the telly for some mindless entertainment.

She shut the door behind her and moved into the house as the kids went running to their rooms to play. She set her bag down and moved further in the living room to find Dean completely engrossed in a book.

“Hey,” she said, “we’re home.”

Dean looked up and smiled. “Hey, Glinda, how was work?”

“Exhausting. I hope you aren’t opposed to takeaway, because I’m too tired to think about cooking. Plus, I already promised the kids.”

Dean laughed. “I’m one hundred percent okay with take away. But you should have called. I could have gotten something for you, or even cooked. Tomorrow, give me a shout. Let me pull my weight around here. I can cook, I can start dinner.”

Hermione looked at him in awe, “You’re a guest, I can’t—”

“I’m an indefinite house guest, and it’s only fair that I help out around the house. So, let me handle dinner. Tell me what the kids like to eat, I’m sure I can make something work. That way when you come home after a long day, you have one less thing to worry about, at least while I’m here.”

Hermione felt tears spring to her eyes and had to look away. Over the last week she had gotten to know the Winchesters better, and they were amazingly kind and generous men who were always looking out for others. She was infinitely surprised about how well they were at following her wishes to not be around her kids. They very dutifully showed up at her door after bedtime every night, and then leaving at a decent time, to make sure she got plenty of rest for work. She worried when she agreed to let Dean stay with her that things would be more difficult, but here she was surprised, yet again. Looking at the Winchester men, it would be easy to place them in several different stereotypical boxes, however, getting to know them, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

“Are you okay?” Dean asked, leaning forward in concern.

Hermione shook her head. “Yeah, I’m fine, just, I’m not used to having someone else around to help out. It’s just been me and the kids for a long time.”

Dean gave her a sad smile. “Your ex?”

“My ex had outdated ideas on gender roles, and never lifted a finger to help me with anything,” she replied.

“Well, he was an ass. Let me help you, and hopefully I won’t spoil you and your kids too much before it’s time for me to leave.”

Hermione laughed, “Well, having dinner ready for when two ravenous children come home every day is definitely going to spoil them, no question about that.”

Dean joined her laughter. “Well, I’m sorry then.”

“No need to apologize. What were you reading when I walked in?”

Dean held up a book, “The Complete History of the Voldemort Wars, Miss War Heroine.”

Hermione shook her head. “That has nothing to do with mind healing or magic, you know.”

“Yeah, but I thought a war story would be a nice change of pace. Who knew it featured my favorite witch in a starring role, saving the wizarding world?” Dean teased, with a huge grin on his face.

Hermione blushed. “It was a long time ago, and that author really overplayed my role in it. Made it sound more glamorous than it really was.”

“So you weren’t one of the Golden Trio who brought down the most evil wizard in history, saving the lives of countless witches and wizards?”

“I was,” Hermione said. “But what they left out was the nearly year of sharing a tent with two teenage boys, nearly starving to death because we didn’t have enough food for while we were on the run, and the torture, and the watching your friends die in front of you—” she trailed off, shaking her head. “The author romanticized the whole thing and it just upsets me. I don’t even know why I still have that rubbish on my shelf.”

“I’m sorry,” Dean said, quietly. “I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories. I didn’t know you were tortured. And if you need to talk to someone, someone who can relate, I’m here.”

“You’ve been tortured?” Hermione asked. “By a monster?”

“The worst kind. I, um, sacrificed myself for my brother several years ago, and my soul was sent to Hell. It, was, um, kinda terrible. So, I know that even though the trauma happened a long time ago, it lingers, and just know that I am here for you.”

She opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the pitter patter of running little feet.

“Mummy, we’re hungry!” Rose said as she came into the room.

“Yes, let me get on the phone and order some food. Pizza?”

“Pizza!” the kids cheered.

“Excellent, let me go place and order and then maybe we can play a little bit while we wait for it to be delivered.”

“Yay!” the kids cheered, again.

Hermione smiled, and looked over at Dean who was looking over at her kids with a small smile on his face. Hermione’s smile slipped a little bit. She worried about her kids getting attached to Dean and having to explain his absence when he eventually left, but she never thought about Dean getting attached to her kids.

SPNHP

“You read me?” Hugo asked, running up to Dean carrying a pile of books in his hands.

Dean chuckled and looked over to see Hermione had left the room to order their pizza before looking back at Hugo. “Sure, buddy, what do you have for me today?”

Hugo set the pile of books next to Dean before climbing up into his lap, handing Dean the first book in the pile. As he opened the book he looked over at Rose who was still standing in the entrance to the hall.

“Do you want to come and listen, too?” Dean asked her.

She shook her head, not moving from her spot.

Dean nodded. “That’s okay. I’m sure you can hear just fine over there, anyway. Want me to turn the book so you can see the pictures, too?”

Rose looked at him, her gaze scrutinizing him, and he could see so much of Hermione in her. Finally she nodded her head, before sitting on the floor in the doorway to the hall and waited expectantly.

Dean smiled at her and shifted so that he could read and both kids could see the pictures. About three books in, he noticed that Rose was moving closer and closer to him, inch by inch until she was sitting right in front of him on the floor. Hugo was nestled into his chest, listening intently to the story. When the book was over, Dean set it aside and went to pick up another one.

“Daddy never read us stories,” Rose spoke up from the floor, very quietly.

“What?” Dean asked, not quite sure he had heard her correctly.

“Daddy never read us stories, only Mummy,” Rose said again, a little louder.

“I’m sorry,” Dean said, not quite sure how to respond to that.

“Daddy was really mean,” Rose continued. “He would get mad at me if I was too loud, or if I asked him to play with me.”

Now, that caught Dean’s attention. He closed the new book, and set it on his lap. “Rose, did your dad hurt you?”

She shook her head. “Mummy wouldn’t let him. He would only hurt Mummy.”

Dean clenched his jaw, his nostrils flared with anger. “Is that why you moved? To get away from your dad?”

Rose nodded. “Uncle Harry saved us.”

“Is that why you’re scared of me? Because you’re worried I’ll be like your dad?”

Rose nodded. “You’re big and strong like him.”

Shifting his grip on Hugo so the boy turned and faced him, Dean slipped to the floor, kneeling next to the young girl.

“Rose, I promise you, I will not hurt you, your brother, or your mom, okay? I don’t hurt people, I protect them. And as long as I’m under your roof, I will protect you and your family, okay?”

Rose looked up at him, her eyes searching his face, as if she was looking for whether or not Dean was telling the truth. Finally after a minute, Rose stood from the ground and wrapped her arms around Dean’s neck, and Dean didn’t hesitate to wrap his free arm around her, pulling her tightly against him.

As he knelt there on the floor, arms full of children, he wondered how he would ever be able to leave these kids when it was time for him to go.


	5. Chapter 5

Hermione walked back into the living room, wrapping her hair in a towel to deal with later. She had ordered the pizza and then decided to take advantage of having another adult in the house and taking a shower. It ended up being a good decision because she felt so much more relaxed after the day she had and now she was in sweats and a loose long sleeve shirt, and just felt human again. She felt she could interact with Dean and the kids over dinner and not want to explode.

As soon as she walked into the living room, she stopped in her tracks. Both her kids were sitting on the couch next to Dean while he read to them. Both of them. Rose even had her head on his shoulder as she looked at the pictures in the book. Hermione couldn’t believe it.

“Hello everyone,” she said, making her presence known.

All three heads turned and looked her way, giving her a smile.

“Mummy!” the kids both shouted at the same time.

“Pizza, mummy?” Hugo asked, from his place on Dean’s lap.

“Any minute,” she answered. She looked at Dean. “Hope you don’t mind, but I took advantage of the free babysitting and grabbed a quick shower.”

Dean shook his head. “I don’t mind at all. Like I said, I’m here, you should utilize me. I owe you a lot, just for making those headaches go away.”

Hermione smiled at him, and shook her head. After Ron, she had basically given up on romance or finding someone. After all, she was as single mum, with two small children, essentially in hiding, and neither of those things particularly lent themselves to a thriving romantic life.

However, tall, dark and handsome just happened to knock on her door, was good with her kids, and wanted to help out around her house, and she was already jumping to thoughts about dating him. Which was ridiculous. As soon as she helped him get that angel out of his head, he would go back to Kansas and back to his life, leaving them behind. She just hoped her children could recover from losing him.

“Kids, why don’t you go get washed up for dinner, give Dean a break from stories for a little bit.”

“Can he do our bedtime stories?” Rose asked. “He is really good. He does all the voices, just like you, Mummy!”

Hermione smiled. “We’ll see. I’m worried that if he reads you stories, you’re going to procrastinate bedtime.”

“We won’t!” Rose said. “I promise.”

“Like I said, we’ll see. Now go wash up, pizza will be here any minute.”

The kids hopped off the couch and raced toward the bathroom.

“Thank you again,” Hermione said, as soon as she and Dean were alone.

Dean worked on stacking the books up in a neat pile. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve said it before, I like your kids.”

“I’m really surprised to see Rose with you. She doesn’t normally…” she trailed off, pretty sure Dean knew where she was going with it.

“Yeah, she started across the room, and moved closer with each story. She, um, she told me about her dad.”

Hermione stiffened. “She did, did she? And what exactly did she say? She was quite young when we left.”

“That he was mean, but mostly he was mean to you.”

Hermione cleared her throat and looked away, blinking the tears from her eyes. “Yes, well, that is a very accurate description of the events.”

She heard Dean sigh. “What I don’t understand is what made you stay with him so long? He’s the guy from the book right? It said you two were engaged from a very young age. If he was abusive, then why did you stay so long? Rose said her uncle helped you guys get away, but I’m just trying to understand how someone so strong and badass as you couldn’t find a way out sooner?”

She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. “It’s complicated.”

“Well, uncomplicate it.”

“I don’t owe you anything. I don’t need to explain my past to you. I barely know you,” she spat out.

“You’re right, but in the last week, I’ve come to care for you, and I’ve come to care for those kids. And based on your reaction when we found you, you’re still hiding from this asshole, and if I’m going to be staying with you, I need to know if I should kick his ass or gank him if he shows up at this door.”

Hermione sighed. “You’re right. I owe you at least a little explanation, but it’s not your place to judge me, because you don’t know the whole story.”

“You’re right, I don’t, but I’m asking you to tell me,” Dean said, softly this time.

Hermione took her bottom lip between her teeth and looked at Dean, really looked at him. He was sat looking up at her with his expressive green eyes, and he was right. The amount of time they’ve spent together for the last week, he no longer qualified as a stranger. And didn’t she just say that she was starting to care for him as well?

“Fine,” she said. “But not now. After the kids go to bed. They don’t know the whole story, and I want to keep it that way.”

Dean nodded. “Deal.”

SPNHP

Dean finished packing up the last left over pizza into bags and placed them into the refrigerator. Hermione had nixed him helping with bedtime. The kids were wired, and bouncing off the walls, and that was before they learned he was going to be staying in their guest room for a while. She told them that once the newness of his presence had worn off, she would allow him to read them bedtime stories. She was just concerned that him reading the stories would just keep the kids wired and they wouldn’t settle down and go to sleep. And even though he would have loved to help out with the bedtime routine, but he didn’t want to overstep.

The year he lived with Lisa and Ben had been one of the best years of his life, minus the whole his brother locked in the cage thing. Yes, he missed his hunting life, but he loved having a stable domestic life. He wished that Lisa would have been okay with the hunting life, and that being with him didn’t endanger their lives, but having a stable home life was something that he had always longed for.

And he was trying to not get attached to this family. But, Hermione was so beautiful and nice, and he loved the kids already. And perk: Hermione could hold her own, and she probably wouldn’t make him give up the life. Maybe. But he really was getting ahead of himself. Because he didn’t know how she felt about him, and if they couldn’t figure out how to get Michael out of his head, he was going to spend eternity at the bottom of the ocean, so none of this would matter anyway.

Hermione was exiting the kids’ rooms when he entered the living room and she gave him a smile.

“Welcome to my chaos of have two small children,” she said.

Dean laughed. “I like it. It’s nice. They’re funny.”

Hermione shook her head. “You keep encouraging them with laughing at their antics, and they will continue to try and impress you with acting sillier and sillier.”

Dean smiled. “I’ll try to be better at keeping a straight face.”

“You do that,” Hermione said, giving him a smile of her own.

Dean moved to sit on the couch, and was not surprised when Hermione sat down next to him. She had taken to sitting next to him on the couch while they read.

She turned so that she was facing him, and he did the same. She looked nervous, and he was starting to feel bad about pressuring her to tell her story. But then little Rose’s face when she told him about how her dad was mean to her and her mother would flash through his mind, and he was determined to find out what exactly happened.

Hermione took a deep breath. “Ron was my first real love. We had been friends since we were eleven, and during our sixth year at Hogwarts, I was absolutely in love with him. After our year on the run, and when the war ended, the feeling was mutual, and we fancied ourselves in love. Things moved quickly. We were engaged nearly right away, and were married shortly after that. Before I had even entered back in Hogwarts to finish out my education, and before Ron went away to train to be an auror. I went to school and I started wondering if maybe we didn’t rush into things a bit. But shook those feelings off.

“School ended, and I went back home. Ron had given up being an auror in order to help his brother with his joke shop, and I went on to get my mastery in mind healing. I started my job at the wizarding hospital, and this is when things get a bit fuzzy. I knew I was having some doubts about my life choices, and maybe I shouldn’t be married. However, these thoughts never stayed in my mind for long. And then after a few years of advancing my career, I found myself pregnant with Rose.

“During my pregnancy, things in my head started to become less fuzzy, and all my reasons for wanting to leave Ron. Just as I started unraveling why I had stuck around, and how I became pregnant even though I was being very diligent with my potions, Rose was born and things grew fuzzy again. When I became pregnant with Hugo, things cleared up, and that is when I made the connection. Ron was drugging me. I remember being very pregnant with Hugo, and confronting Ron about it, and he didn’t even deny it, said I wouldn’t even remember it anyway. He said several hurtful things, and even raised his hand to me when I talked back. That’s when I had enough. Especially since he did it all in front of Rose. I packed us up and we went to Harry’s.

“Harry helped when Hugo was born, and he and my boss found me my position here. The children and I moved before my divorce was finalized. I live under my maiden name now, but we lived under a pseudonym for about a year. So when you came here, looking for me by name, I had this sense of panic that Ron had found us, and he was going to drag us home. Because not all evil comes in the shape of monsters, sometimes evil can look like someone you love the most in the world.”

Dean could feel his blood pressure rising with each detail Hermione gave him. “I’m gonna kill him,” he said when she was finished. “I’m going to take my gun and just put one between his eyes.”

Hermione shook her head, reaching out and taking his hand in hers. “It’s not worth it. It’s all over and done with, and the chances of him even finding me here are very slim.”

Dean shook his head. “What kind of man drugs a woman to stay with him? That’s sick. I’m so glad that you were able to get yourself and the kids out of there. Although I’m starting to feel a little bit worried about some random person being able to point us in your direction.”

Hermione shrugged. “I’m a very well known witch, and I’ve been very beneficial to the magical community here in the US with my research. So I’m not so worried about that. I haven’t heard from Ron or my in-laws since we moved here, so I’m really secure in knowing he won’t find us.”

Dean turned his hand in hers so that he could lace their fingers together. “Well, if he does find you, you call me, and I’ll track you guys down and end him.”

Hermione gave him a smile. “You’re sweet, and the sentiment is very welcome, but all you’ve done just now is remind me that you’re eventually going to leave, and that makes me sad. Which is crazy, right? To feel this way when we’ve barely known each other?”

Dean shook his head. “No, I don’t think so, because I feel the same way whenever I think about you solving my problem, and I have to leave you and the kids. Because, shit, I have fallen in love with your kids, they’re amazing. And I—” Dean stopped. He didn’t want to say he loved her too, because he didn’t. He was attracted to her, yes, but it wasn’t love. “I am growing very fond of you as well,” he finished.

Hermione smiled at him. Fuck, he loved her smile. “Yes, well, I’m growing fond of you as well, but—”

“But I’m not a permanent fixture in your life,” Dean finished for her. “Yeah, my semi-transient lifestyle leaves very little that is appealing for a romantic relationship.”

“And it’s not just that,” Hermione said. “You have to understand, after Ron...”

“Understandable. Let’s just, table these feelings for now? Try to work around them, and focus on solving this angel problem.”

Hermione smiled, “Yeah, let’s do that,” she said, squeezing his hand.

“So,” Dean said, after a moment. “I had a question after reading that book. That Voldemort guy created these things that kept him alive after he had supposedly died, and you and your friends went and destroyed them. So, how exactly do those things work?”

Hermione’s eyes widened, and her jaw dropped. “Dean, you brilliant, brilliant man.”

And before he could realize what was happening, Hermione closed the gap between them, planted a a kiss on his mouth, and before he could react to anything that was happening, flew off the couch and ran off toward her library.


End file.
